The Byrd Cagehttps://byrdcage.wordpress.com
Following Rick Byrd's Belmont BruinsTue, 26 Sep 2017 19:59:30 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngThe Byrd Cagehttps://byrdcage.wordpress.com
The Byrd Cagehttps://byrdcage.wordpress.com/2015/02/06/the-byrd-cage/
https://byrdcage.wordpress.com/2015/02/06/the-byrd-cage/#respondFri, 06 Feb 2015 18:13:23 +0000http://belmontbyrdcage.com/?p=2804]]>To those who have followed the Byrd Cage for the past 4 years, you may have noticed that blog posts have been sporadic and coverage has been lacking for the better part of the last year. If you haven’t, we have- and we want to tell you that as of February 7th, this website will no longer be functional.

It is sad to write this, as a Belmont fan, and as a guy who started a random blog four years ago for the team I love. The Byrd Cage grew up considerably since I first wrote the post about a Belmont team that could beat Duke (we lost by one point in the season opener). I quickly realized that there were a considerable amount of people that loved Belmont basketball, and that knew quite a bit more than me about the sport, and about the team. So I reached out to a great group of people for help. With all Belmont alumni at the helm, the ByrdCage started rolling. From serious statistical breakdowns of games and players to the ever-popular Twitter-trolling of Mort and Hugs, we formed a nice little community. I think I finally realized how wide the readership and appreciation was of this website when the ByrdCage hosted a March Madness watch party at Sportsman’s Grill and had 150 people present.

As Kyle Williams took over the Editor role, and Nick Broadhead took over as Director of Content, our website traffic jumped to the highest traffic we experienced at the Cage, topping out a 6000 page views in one day. Pretty great stuff for a little Belmont blog. I basically sat back and did nothing, watching the team and readers take it to the next level. Matt Sherrill, Jono Broadhead, Brian Dunn, Steven Lefebvre, Ben Smith, and Ryan Hurd all offered unique content with quality writing styles that made us an entertaining, yet newsworthy source of information for Belmont fans. Joel Schlichtemier utilized his talents behind the camera and gave us some awesome photos during some great Belmont moments, and some guest writers offered insights from around the country on how important Belmont basketball was to them.

All in all, I learned a ton and had a blast. I’d like to thank Belmont athletics for giving us access to interviews, particularly Greg Sage who allowed us to be such a close part of the action.

Finally, i’d like to thank Coach Byrd. I got the opportunity to talk to him a few times, and he was legitimately interested in this guy who had a little blog. He spent 15 minutes with me in an interview the day before they left to go to the NCAA Tournament. His phone was lighting up, his staff hovering outside the door- yet Coach Byrd looked me in the eyes and asked what I studied at Belmont and what I was doing now. We were done with the interview, but Coach Byrd intently looked at me, asking about my life in what was probably his 50th interview of the day. He actually cared about the individual across from him.

And that’s what i’ll take from this, I think. A blog like this might think Coach Byrd’s success comes in wins, in navigating a team from the NAIA to the NCAA Tournament, in beating Lipscomb or Murray State, or in getting that first win in the NCAA Tournament. And yes, Coach Byrd probably thinks that has some to do with it, but ultimately I get the feeling that it is about the people around him. Even though I have probably spent 30 minutes total with the Coach in my lifetime, he left a mark on me. And I could feel that in the players I interviewed, and Kyle interviewed- and we have heard it from countless others, Coach Byrd is a quality person that truly cares about the individuals around him.

Alright, the website is done and I must go. I no longer have the time to commit to deliver a quality product, and I won’t try to halfway do something and tarnish the reputation of the Cage. That being said, while the website may be done, the Twitter handle will still be active. Follow that for some hot takes.

We are off and running in another Belmont Bruins campaign! As we all know, these non-conference/exhibition games show us things that we may never see again. Last year in the season opener at Lipscomb the Bruins had to gut out a sloppy win. They were adjusting to new defensive rules and no Ian or Kerron. It took time to readjust and all that season produced was an OVC Championship game appearance and an NIT Elite Eight.

The 2014-2015 season opener at Wright State was no different. (Except we lost, I get it). With 21 turnovers and several defensive lapses this season opener felt eerily similar to last year. Poor shooting and only five assists had everyone wondering what was wrong with this version of Belmont. Were they still an elite shooting team? Where was the ball movement? The answer to the questions was simple. It was the opener. It was on the road. And despite the poor play, the Bruins had the ball at the end with a chance to win the game.

Next came the Byrd Cage’s favorite game of the year: The Battle of the Boulevard. We were all stretching for storylines to keep this game relevant. Chad Lang suits up against his former team! Rick Byrd faces his protégé! It’s the 135th-ish matchup between schools! If you are like me, these storylines did not get you fired up and for good reason. This matchup out of conference is not fun. It’s just not. I don’t care how ‘beneficial’ it is for the schools. Please make it stop. The game however, did show us a thing or two:

Taylor Barnette and 3 Balls: This kid can flat out shoot the basketball and while we got a glimpse in the opener, he exploded at Allen Arena. Make sure you get to the Curb as soon as possible to watch him play. I know it’s only three games and looking at numbers this point in the season is often fruitless but he is 15-22 from deep!! That is 68% for those of you counting at home. That is some kind of hot streak. And it’s not just Taylor who has been shooting well. After only making three 3s in the opener the Bruins have poured in 31 3s in the last two games. I think this team can still shoot.

Turnovers: The turnover rate for this team is incredibly high at the moment (28% of the team’s possessions!). Now this number historically has gone down for the Bruins (most teams for that matter) once they reach conference play and I expect that again. One thing that must be cleaned up are the turnovers in the second half with the lead. Rick was losing his mind in the second half of the Lipscomb game simply because we were not finishing out the game. That includes using the shot clock, taking smart shots, and NOT TURNING THE BALL OVER. This is a great time of year to be in situation where you can work on closing out a game. Rick is on it.

Defensive rotation: Craig Bradshaw gets a ton of attention for his defensive play. He is an active player who is constantly in passing lanes and disrupting opposing offenses. It is really fun to watch and can generate quick and easy offense. Obviously a plus for any team. However, that type of defense is not without consequences. When he misses a deflection or doesn’t get the steal it puts a massive amount of pressure on the back end of the defense. The rotation or scramble after a gamble has been poor. This defensive unit is still learning how to find shooters and recover after dribble penetration or a missed assignment. Lipscomb nor Trevecca could not take advantage but most teams can and will take advantage of sloppy defensive rotation.

Overall, the first three games of the season have been exciting. It is always fun to watch a new team learn how to play together, to understand thought processes, and to win together. That will be put to test tomorrow as they travel to Bowling Green to take on the Hilltoppers. Keeping in mind that non-conference games are simply a preseason to the much more important conference schedule, the Bruins and their fans should focus on the process. Let’s not overreact and let’s get ready for the OVC.

Be sure to tune in to Kevin and Sage on Saturday for what promises to be an excellent game.

-@nickbroadhead

Gambler’s Corner: The season opener against Wright State started out as a pick ‘em. As the day progressed, Belmont became a slight favorite on the road. If you were to hypothetically take Wright State at any point in the day you were getting great value. While Belmont looked like the more experienced team on paper, they had little on court experience. In the end, Vegas was right. This was a toss-up. There were no lines for the Lipscomb or Trevecca games presumably viewed as exhibitions by Vegas due to the level of competition.

Guys. It’s basketball season and just like last year, we’re all scratching our heads, trying to figure out what kind of Bruin team we have on our hands. The Byrd Cage is excited to figure it out with you by way of some good content this year. Tonight’s game against Wright State will obviously be more enlightening than what you’re about to read here but until then let’s cover the basics.

LAST YEAR

Last year, we started out having graduated 5 seniors and assuming Belmont was going to be a god awful team. We had lost Kerron & Ian – the very identity of the program – and thought all was lost. And what do ya know – we still ended up doing neat stuff like . . . beating the Tarheels in the Dean dome, winning a fifth consecutive regular season conference championship, and going three rounds deep in the NIT. On the other hand, we committed an insane amount of fouls on the back of new NCAA rules (thanks Rick..), turned the ball over at an amazing clip and lost the OVC Championship Tournament in the final game to an on-fire Eastern Kentucky team.

BUT, in addition to familiar faces in sharp shooting Nick Smith, versatile Evan Bradds, and shoe-in all conference Craig Bradshaw, the Byrd Man has a plethora of new weapons that we are really excited about watching.

Another, more pessimistic way of saying this would be…there are 7 players suiting up that have never played a game for the Bruins. Seven. But you never get pessimism (or sarcasm) here at the Byrd Cage…

….So here’s a reminder of who all the noobs on the hardwood will be this year:

1) Taylor Barnette is now eligible to shoot basketballs. Thank God. From what we’ve heard, this transfer from University of Virginia can make it rain from the arc. At ‘Meet the Bruins’ this week, he drained one from basically the scorers table. Plus, he’s apparently a plus defender, something the Bruins drastically need to improve on as a team. But can he guard Cameron Payne? Trick question – no one can. Look for Taylor to compete for minutes by being an aggressive defender and shooting with a hand in his face from behind the arc.

2) Tyler Hadden is a 6’10, 240 lb, big dude. We have an…[clears throat] … interesting history with big guys, so color us skeptical until proven otherwise. JUST IN CASE YOU FORGOT CHAD LANG IS A FLIPPIN BISON. Gosh. Anyway, Tyler red-shirted last year and took the season to learn Rick’s ways and to put on some pounds. Homeboy is 6-10, 240 lbs and will give Reece a weapon in the paint that we have been lacking for several years (sorry Trevor…and Drew…and Chad). He looks hella coordinated so I for one am pumped. I’m also excited to see us have a legit big man to swat at OVC big boys like EKU’s Eric Stutz and Murray State’s Jarvis Williams. Don’t let us down Tyler.

3) Austin Luke – I think I might be most excited about seeing Austin’s game. He’s got handles that we desperately need and is apparently a passing/assisting machine. He comes with an impressive resume from a big basketball program in Texas. Here’s to hoping that red-shirt year was spent learning from the mistakes of our point guard play last year. For what its worth, I bet he did spend last year learning how to effectively get the ball to big man Tyler Hadden who also red-shirted last year.

5) Amanze Egekeze (uh- MAHN-zay egg-uh-KAY-zuh) may have the best hair on the team, if not the entire OVC. Gotta love a flat top. Plus anyone who puts Common’s Resurrection on his Sophomore mixtape is a winner in my book. The Bruins were pretty stoked to get this guy from Chicago last year who is another big forward that can shoot and grab boards. Now, I don’t know a ton about what goes into the decision to red shirt. If you’re playing for Rick, I would assume that red-shirting would be a no brainer; take some time to learn the system and grab a free masters degree while you’re at it. When a team has this many personnel options, Amanze must be pretty confident that he’s good enough to compete for big minutes in his first year.

6) Mack Mercer – Same goes for The Big Mack (I think we can all agree on this nickname) who is hitting the ground running, forgoing the red shirt. He’s big and was a hero in high school. Who is he on the Bruins? Time will tell.

7) Josh Lester is from Brentwood Academy. And by the sound of this Rick Byrd quote and the bricks he was throwing up at Meet the Bruins, seems eerily reminiscent of a certain Brandon Baker (aka The Bakery). Rick lovessssssss these gritty kind of guys for some reason.

“I have seen very few players improve in one year’s time morethan Josh Lester has. He used his redshirt season to reallyimprove his skills and to learn our system both offensively anddefensively. No one on our team works harder to execute hisresponsibilities more than Josh. He is a great defender andrebounder. With continued improvement at this rate, Josh willcertainly help our basketball team this year.” – Rick Byrd’s Xanga

What will our starting five look like? I have no clue. From the sound of it, I don’t think anyone does. I think it’s pretty reasonable to assume that Craig, Reece, and Evan pretty much have to be in there. Does Tyler Hadden start? Burton Sampson? Taylor Barnette? Who knows. I’m excited to see how it pans out in Dayton tonight.

J.J. looked exhausted throughout the NIT tournament and Blake’s body was beginning to look like John McClain’s at the end of Diehard. After three years of NCAA tournaments and a senior season of trying to rise to the level of our privileged culture of winning (without the leadership and talent pool of shooters like Ian Clark, Kerron Johnson, or Drew Hanlen or true big men like Mick Hedgepeth and Scott Saunders) it was obvious our veterans had nothing left to give. This team didn’t underachieve, they were flat bankrupt. Come tournament time, that grit that won them games on the road against MTSU and UNC, and had them going to war in a violent VCU game, was gone. By the time the clock struck 0:00 in Clemson, it was obvious JJ and Blake had given all they were going to give.

But if you could imagine the end of the Clemson game like the final battle in the Two Towers, Rick Byrd (Gandalf in this metaphor, if your keeping score at home) is standing on top of the hill with reinforcements ready to save the day and get us back to what we do best: hang banners in the CEC {Note: we are now accepting photo-shopped Rick Byrd/Gandalf submissions}.

What we have to look forward to next fall:

Craig Bradshaw: aced the eye test last night. Did you see his numbers? 21 points, 9 boards, 5 assists and played all but one minute. He is just a sophomore, but he is this team’s white knight of a leader. His poise and character were most on display when he threw the ball to (did I mention tired) JJ and he muffed it out of bounds with 3 minutes left… Craig was all smiles and pats on the back, ready to get back in there and win one for the gipper. This is his team next year.

Reece Chamberlin: Did anybody else hear Jimmy Dykes call Reece… and I paraphrase, ‘unexpectedly athletic?’ Reece is a gamer, a scrapper, and actually a damn good ball handler. Let’s look at the numbers: Compared to Kerron Johnson and Alex Renfroe, Reece is right on par. This year, Reece already averaged more assists per game, has a higher assist to turnover ratio, and has a lower turnover percentage than both Renfroe and Kerron in their senior seasons. He’s also a comparable shooter and though you may hate it, draws a game changing charge better than anyone in both college basketball and European futbol.

Evan Bradds: Coming off the bench this year as a true freshman, he boasts the sixth best FG percentage in the country at 65%. At just 200 pounds, I expect him to put on 20 more pounds this off-season, as Blake Jenkins did between his sophomore and junior year, thus grabbing more boards. He’s currently sitting at 7 rebounds per 40 minutes, which is respectable but there is room for improvement.

Bold Prediction:

Nick Smith will be a big contributor next year. In games where he played more than ten minutes (14 games) he shot 55% (17/31) from behind the arc and perfect from the charity stripe (9/9). His Achilles heal (like Evan’s) could be foul trouble – he averaged 7 fouls per 40 minutes this year.

Redshirts who will be on the court next year:

Austin Luke: Was one of the best high school point guards in the state of Texas.

Burton Sampson: Averaged 19 points and 9 rebounds a game in high school (same school Blake went to). Oh yeah, and Rick said this dude is the best walk-on in program history.

Tyler Hadden: At 6’10” we may finally have a big man.

Josh Lester: 6’5” / 220 out of high school? This guy has athlete written all over him.

Well here we are again, folks. After graduating FIVE seniors, Belmont has earned the regular season OVC title and is playing against a very good EKU team in the OVC championship game tonight at 6:oopm on ESPN2.

To get here, Belmont had to beat a hot Morehead State team that had just defensively steamrolled Tennessee Tech the night before. We were worried that Belmont’s turnover-prone offense would have a hard time keeping things together against a team playing with a chip on it shoulder. Instead, Belmont’s insane shooting performance (FGM-A: 27-51, 52.9% & 3PM-A 11-24, 45.8%) naturally opened up the court to a defense that was on its toes all night.

Defensively, Belmont quickly figured out it was going to have to double up on Morehead’s bigs who were flinging Drew Windler around in the paint like a rag doll. Drew would later get T-ed up for saying something under his breath after a weak-sauce foul was called on him. I think he was pretty frustrated from getting beat up so much.

The other big story was Belmont getting an unprecedented 28pts off the bench including 11 from Nick Smith whose three point shooting has been blossoming before our eyes over the past few games. Caleb Chowbay also hit the 3pt shot of his life that ended up sealing Belmont’s lead for the remainder of the game.

But enough of that – we have a HUGE game tonight against an EKU team that looks pretty daunting. These guys have an extremely well rounded team that get a ton of points in the paint, make the most 3’s per game(9.2) in the OVC , and run the best D in the league behind 2014 OVC Defensive player of the year Corey Walden (who was VERY impressive last night against Murray).

This is the team that was picked to win the conference early in the year by USA Today & Yahoo Sports and they have lived up to the hype. Unlike Belmont, this team is upperclassman heavy with 6 Seniors and 5 Juniors.

Here’s what I’m watching for when EKU has the ball

THE PAINT: Last night EKU scored 52 points in the paint against Murray. FIFTY TWO. Belmont basically has zero presence down low so look for a lot of the same. EKU got the touches last night off cuts from the high post on a TON of slipped screens and back cuts from the wing. The man to watch here is dude Eric Stutz. Homie is going to get a A LOT of touches in the paint. Plus, now that Ed Daniel is gone, Stutz has a strangle-hold on best hair in the OVC. So there’s that. But before we move on, I want to rip on Stutz’s performance last night against the Racers. Stutz was in foul trouble most of the night and picked up his fifth foul trying to draw a charge (WHY???). After getting the left-right treatment from the rabid Murray fan base, Stutz throws his head band down and begins to cry on the bench. STUTZ, YOU GUYS ARE WINNING BY 5 POINTS WITH 2:46 LEFT!!!! WHY ARE YOU POUTING?? Ok nm, I don’t really care that much.

DEFENSE: Can Belmont put the heat on the big men AND stay out of foul trouble? I foresee at least one of the following guys to get in big foul trouble (Drew, Blake, Evan). Also, Belmont will have to play smart off the screens and play well in the gaps to try to limit Stutz’s touches.

THE LEAD: In the presser last night, Coach Newbauer quoted some stat about the colonels having a much higher winning percentage when playing with the lead. This needs to not happen.

When Belmont Has The Ball:

JJ Mann: Here’s what you need to know. Belmont has split the EKU series this year. The first matchup, EKU had the home court advantage and held JJ to 10 points. In the second matchup, we had home court advantage and JJ scored 34 points. We only won by 3pts. If you’ve been paying attention this year, you know that if JJ can score 15 pts we will basically win. So yeah, JJ has to be on. AND IF HE’S NOT, there is the increasingly important Nick Smith factor. If Nick can drain some threes, Eastern might loosen up on JJ.

Turnovers: Reece and Caleb have to protect the ball. I think we’ll see Reece driving to the basket a lot tonight so his kick-outs need to be smart. Corey Walden had six steals against Murray last night, helping the Colonels rake in 24 points off turnovers. This is not good for us.

CBRAD: Craig has 21 and 22 pts against EKU this year. Look for him to be a major factor.

“we look good, guys.” – Nick Smith’s Guns

What you won’t see tonight is an army of Murray State fans, which totally rules. They were INSANELY loud last night, and Belmont hasn’t exactly thrived in that kind of environment. What you will see is this lady…

..who, if you have the privilege of sitting next to, sounds EXACTLY like Macho Man Randy Savage, snapping into a slim jim.

Remember to stay loud tonight, people.

@kylerwilliams

SEE MORE OF JOEL’S RAD PICS HERE: http://www.flickr.com/photos/belmontbyrdcage/with/13004090863/

From the seats, this game had everything. A convincing lead from the start by the home team, a swift return from the away team to even it up at half- and then a furious fight for victory at the end of the game all made for yet another riveting young chapter in the Belmont versus Murray State rivalry book.

From the seats, I don’t think I’ve heard the Curb Event Center that loud since the Lipscomb rivalry was, well, actually a rivalry. Our student section was great, the band on point, and even that old person side that I sit on now stood up cheering for a large portion of the second half.

Murray State brought a great crowd as well- as I knew they would. The liveliness of their fans during Murray runs was both infuriating (to a Belmont fan) and impressive for their corner of the Center. Murray State head coach Steve Prohm was also equally infuriated it seemed at times, particularly when he practically handed Belmont the game toward the end of regulation. But the Prohm antics could be a whole other post- and should be, frankly.

The fact is, if the short history of these games can tell us anything about the future, we have so much in store. Let’s take a brief look at the early chapters.

Feb 7, 2013- Murray, KY

After a 17-7 run by the Bruins with minutes left, Ian Clark drains his patented “Ian” triple, tying the game with 58 seconds to go. The Bruins, 10-0 in OVC play in their first year were not giving up yet. A jet-fueled Murray State crowd, given a gut-punch by the OVC offensive/defensive player of the year, started to anxiously question the reality of running away with this one and momentarily quieted down. But the Racers had a clutch future NBA talent on their side as well – and when the ball was inbounded to Isaiah Canaan, he proved he could play this game, too. ‘Sip’s’ three-point answer to Ian Clark’s challenge put the racers up by three. A Bruins turnover with 25 seconds left in the game and made free throws by Canaan ultimately pushed the game to its 79-74 conclusion, in favor of the home Racers.

March 9, 2013- Nashville, TN- Municipal Auditorium, OVC Championship

I don’t really even need to recap this one, do I? This game was an instant classic. It ranks for me, and I’m sure for many of you, as one of the most exciting single sporting events I have ever witnessed. I almost said “one of the most exciting sporting events I have been a part of”, because, well- I felt like I was an actual part of that. How could you not?

Kerron Johnson cemented his legacy of clutch greatness in that game, my heart developed an arrhythmia, and enduring the intense match-up of Ian Clark and Isaiah Canaan all evening just about burned as many calories as alcohol that was in my system that night. The memory of Kerron taking it to overtime- Kerron draining the jumper at the end of overtime for the win, the OVC Championship in our first year, and a berth to the NCAA Tournament will likely be the last thing my mind will lose in its old age.

The game became more than a game that night. It became a statement. And its echo reverberated into the new blood on both teams for the first Belmont home match and battle for the 1 seed in 2014.

February 7, 2014- Nashville, TN- Curb Event Center

If you want the nitty gritty, we always immediately suggest you go to Belmont’s recap here, because it is always really informative and a little more professional than the stuff you get here at the Cage- but nonetheless, last night’s game was one for the books as well. Blake Jenkins’ 18 points in the first half kept us in it. J.J. Mann’s 20-point second half helped inch us over the top for the “W”, but it wasn’t easy. The ease of back-to-back clutch threes kept Murray sneaking around and left everyone on edge of their seats in the waning minutes. A full-court press distracted an inbound play from the Bruins, and before you knew it, the refs were back checking the replay again like a post-season NFL game. Yes, this could be a great place to complain about the officiating – but that is boring.

But it was horrendous.

Prohm thought so as well. He thought the calls were so downright foolish he practically convulsed on the court, saliva spraying the recently BMX’ed C.E.C. like so many western spittoons with his disapproval. Players even held him back he was so incensed at officials, doing his best impression of a moderately agitated Mark Ruffalo version of Bruce Banner … only to get a technical and not those large muscles and jorts he was probably banking on.

Listen, Prohm is a serious man. He doesn’t have time for your video reviews, OVC officials. I don’t either. The game didn’t even end until I’m usually 30 minutes asleep in my bed. But that’s off point.

And that is about as much as I’ll ever agree with Prohm.

Belmont got this one. Taking the series to 2-1. But it wasn’t easy. And it won’t ever be easy if this rivalry plays itself out like it has since its inception. Doesnt this say it all?

This is stunning, yet sums up everything. @BelmontMBB and @MSURacers have met 3 times in the OVC. Combined score: Belmont 243, Murray 243.

Editor’s Note: The ‘Byrd Brains’ Interview Series kicks off again this season as we sit down with freshman forward, Evan Bradds who in his first year as a Bruin, has already won Freshman of the Week honors from the OVC, while averaging nearly 10 pts and 4 boards a game off the bench. Get cozy and follow along as we talk acoustic guitars, Coach Byrd’s apparent disdain for Lipscomb, James Michael McAdoo, and Evan’s insane Twitter habit.

BC = Byrd Cage

EB= Evan Bradds

BC: Evan explain for Bruin fans your role on the court in high school – what position did you play and what kind of system did you play in.

EB: When I was in high school I probably played more…I probably played everything to be honest. Like at the beginning of the game I would do the jump ball, then I’d go back and get the ball, and then run the point. I played a lot of positions and it just depended on who was in the game. My freshman year I played more of the four, then my sophomore year I played the one and I kind of stayed at the one for a long time.

BC: Well, where are you most comfortable playing?

EB: I like playing on the wing a lot. Just, being in transition, driving to the hole, pick-and-roll, that kind of thing.

BC: Explain to Belmont fans what its like to be recruited by Rick Byrd? What made you pick Belmont over the other schools interested in you?

EB: Well, Coach Byrd has been here for a long time and my situation was a little bit different because I committed to one school and the coach left, so I was really looking for a coach that would be there for all four years.

EB: Yeah its really different from my home town. I’m from a small town in Ohio – like a very small town. I wasn’t really used to it. So I’m adjusting somewhat to some of the acoustic guitars.

BC: What do you think of Nashville so far? What’s the most fun thing you’ve done while in town?

EB: Oh yeah, I have loved it. That is one of the reasons I came here. Nashville as a city is just amazing. There’s just so much to do, and so many places to go out and have fun with your friends and just go out to eat. Its awesome.

BC: What did you think your roll was going to be on this team before the season started – having played so many positions in high school. How has it changed?

EB: At the beginning [of the season] I didn’t really know. I had a feeling I would probably play on the wing but I’ve begun to play a lot of post – but whatever I can do to help the team, that’s all I really care about.

BC: Yeah you’ve played against some pretty big guys down low – had you had any experience in high school playing big guys.

EB: Not really. I was usually the bigger guy. I was playing in a small town against small schools. Coming up against another kid who was as tall as me – just didn’t happen that often. I mean, we had football players that weren’t as big as the guys I’ve been playing against.

BC: So lets talk about the redshirts on the team, you & Nick were the two incoming freshmen that decided not to redshirt – what went into your decision to play and what all goes into that process?

EB: I would have [redshirted] if that’s what Coach wanted me to do but Coach never talked to me about it. I mean, I would have if he had said something to me about it.

BC: It seems like there are a lot red-shirts on the team right now – which guys on the bench do you think Bruins fans should be most excited about and why?

EB: I think we all have our special skills. We’ve got a big man Tyler Hadden, my roommate, who is just a really big kid and he is just getting better and better every day in practice. Then Taylor Barnette the transfer from Virginia…he shoots lights out – him and Burton Sampson. They can just stroke the ball. Then Austin is another point gaurd Coach Byrd found in Texas and he is just a good player who just works his butt off everyday in practice – its awesome. They work really hard.

BC: You mentioned Tyler Hadden – he looks like the most coordinated big that Belmont has had in a long time [ever?]. Do you get to play against him in practice?

EB: Yeah he’s really big and really skilled too. He can step out and hit a three if need be, but he can hold his own in the post. So he’s got a lot of talents that I think will help us a lot.

BC: It will be exciting to see how these guys come off the bench and contribute next year. At the beginning of this season, you were really racking up the fouls under the new rules. How hard has it been to learn a new system AND a new set of basketball rules. What has been the most difficult for you?

EB: I mean it really is tough. A lot of the rules I thought would impact the guards rather than the bigs, but the forwards and the centers – even all around the country – have been getting into foul trouble. I think the first couple games – especially the Lipscomb game – I think I had more fouls than minutes. Its been tough to adjust, but staying straight up is probably the biggest thing that Coach Byrd has preached to us. Just staying straight up and not hacking and whoever’s on the wing – you can’t hand check – which has hurt us a lot.

BC: Yeah, you basically can’t touch your guy right?

EB: Yeah, its really tough especially when their guards are super super quick. Its tough to keep them in front of you.

BC: I wonder what they were trying to accomplish with those rules. I mean, I heard they were trying to speed up the game but it seems like (at least for now) it has slowed it down with all these fouls.

EB: Yeah, especially in that first game. It felt like it took forever. It was like a 3 hour game.

BC: When we hear Coach Byrd talk about you, he seems to highly regard your abilities – what do you think you are doing right?

EB: I just do whatever they ask. I just try to play my hardest every time I step out on the court and I try to get as many rebounds as possible. I think now I’m going more into the post and creating for some of the other guys so that’s what I’ve been trying to do as much as possible.

BC: So you were OVC freshman of the week last week – do you get a trophy or something? What is involved with that?

EB: No, you just get a slap on the back from the coaches and all the guys.

[Editor’s note: OVC, give the boys trophies! THEY’RE GOOD BOYS]

BC: What aspect of your game do you think you have to improve on most as the season progresses?

EB: Probably my jumpshot. I mean, its not awful but just the guys that I’m around – they just shoot the lights out sometimes so I think that’s the biggest part of my game I have to work on. That and gaining a little weight.

BC: Do you have a goal weight-wise or are you just trying to put on as much as possible?

EB: I probably want to gain another 10-15 lbs. Whatever is healthy for me.

BC: Did you see the video of the SIU coach going off about how his wife has better shot fake than his big guys?

(its all worth a watch but 2:50 is what we are refering to)

EB: Yeah I heard that.

BC: You might have one of the more skilled uses of a shot fake that I’ve seen from a Belmont player. Has that always been a part of your game or have you had to develop that a bit more playing at the five?

EB: Well, in high school I could just shoot over everybody which was a little bit easier, but when you go up against guys like James Michael McAdoo and all those dudes – they’re a lot bigger and a lot more athletic than me so I have to use the ball fake so it doesn’t end up in the third row.

BC: Yeah in the period of about 10 months you went from playing your last high school game in Ohio to beating University of North Carolina – talk about that experience – what made it so special for you.

EB: Yeah that was just incredible. I mean leading up to the game, I was just so excited. The whole team was excited. We got to go to one of the more historic gyms in the country. We felt honored just to be there. Then we went in there and played so well in that game. They probably weren’t playing at their best, but still, we went in there and won and it was just amazing.

BC: Do you remember what Coach Byrd said to you guys after you won that game?

EB: It was so crazy – I was still in shock over what had just happened but I remember him saying something like, this game was a huge win but we have to focus on the next game when we play at Lipscomb. He said he’d rather beat Lipscomb at home than North Carolina away.

“he said what?”

BC: Wow that’s a pretty big statement! Moving along here – You are a pretty prolific twitter user, dude! I’m sorry to say – we had to stop following you! We couldn’t keep up! Have you guys ever tried to get Coach Byrd to join twitter?

EB: I’m not asking him to [laughs].That would be pretty funny.

BC: I mean, even like a ‘Things Coach Byrd Says” handle would be hilarious. I’m sure he would not like that though.

EB: [laughs] Probably not.

BC: Having you and Reece injured for the second SDSU game made for the most shorthanded Belmont team we’ve seen in a while. Tell us the story of how you hurt your ankle – do you have a history of ankle injuries?

EB: Well, no. Earlier in the year, like a week and a half before practice had even started at the beginning of the season, I just stepped wrong and stepped on someone’s foot and rolled my ankle. Not too terribly bad. Then that day we were supposed to play Fairfield, we were practicing a post drill and I just came down and it kind of gave out on me. This one was way worse. Unfortunately, I had to sit out of the next game. It was terrible because I just wanted to be out there but I came back the next game and it didn’t seem like I did anything playing hurt. I just got to keep fighting through it.

BC: How’s the ankle now?

EB: It’s pretty much better now. It’s still a little swollen but for the most part, its pretty good.

BC: Yeah you posted a picture of it – it looked terrible.

EB: Yeah it looked like someone put a softball in my ankle for a little bit. It was really nasty.

BC: You guys square up against a pretty impressive offense in SEMO tomorrow, what has Coach Byrd tried to get you guys to focus on defensively leading up to this game?

EB: Just how talented they are. We don’t want to underestimate them in any way. I know we won’t but I know a lot of them like to drive the ball so we’ve been practicing guarding catches and drives, trying to keep the ball out of the middle.

BC: Well its been great talking to you hopefully we’ll get many more chances to talk while you’re at Belmont.

Editors Note: For those of you unfamiliar with the practice, Belmont holds an event once a month throughout the basketball season called ‘Hoop Hour’ wherein guests eat lunch [Sodexo] whilst beholding coach Newbauer and Coach Byrd breakdown game footage of their respective teams.

In this month’s edition Belmont served chicken sandwiches. Typically, you’d kind of worry about the quality of chickenyou’d be eating at an event like this. But all I could think of as I downed the giant ciabatta-bunned sandwich was the fact that the US is one of the few developed countries to allow manufacturers to put Potassium Bromate in commercial baked goods. Isn’t that wild? See? Now you can’t complain that we don’t teach you anything.

On to sports guy things.

Rick started off by briefly running down the many events that have transpired since Hoop Hour #1 in December. At that time, The Bruins were 8-2 and had just beaten MTSU at the Murphy Center – without two of its starting guards (Reece & Craig were injured). After the win, the team was in the midst of a seven-day break before it was scheduled to wallop DII Fairfield University. Instead, Fairfield ended up being unable to travel to Nashville due to an ice storm that now seems totally weak-sauce compared to the Polar Vortex.

“All well” fans confidently chuckled at the time. But…did this rescheduled game create a detrimentally long (11 day) break for the boys in blue? Coach seemed to allude to the idea that the Fairfield game was intended to give the Bruins a ‘running start’ before playing a string of nasty, playoff-caliber teams (South Dakota State, Denver, Kentucky, & Indiana State).

What would have happened if Belmont had warmed up after their 7 day hiatus with Fairfield instead of SDSU? A team, Coach reminded us, that was ready to exact revenge on the Bruins who had handily beat the Nate Wolters lead team last year.

We will definitely never know. But I’d guess it wouldn’t have mattered that much because we still had the injury bug plaguing the team. What we do know is that Coach Byrd said the team traveled to the ever-frigid South Dakota tundra and played, “like they were playing outside.”

…and on they went to Denver. Rick reflected on the fact that his teams of late, rarely get blown out. He suspected the Kansas gamewas probably the last blowout the Bruins suffered – until Denver beat them by 28. Denver was playing great at the time and he thought the Bruins played better than they had in South Dakota but were still unable to turn a corner. Both the SDSU and Denver games were played without Belmont’s Reece Chamberlain. Coach Byrd said there’s no way to know what happens when your team has to play with men down – but there was no excuse for the sometimes purposeless and poor play put forth by the Bruins.

Having lost back-to-back games, Rick joked that traveling to Rupp Arena was not exactly the ideal place for his team to regain its confidence. However, he said the Bruins could have won the game if they could have figured out a way to guard, ‘that Randle kid who no-one can seem to guard’ who put up 29pts and 10 rebs against Belmont at Rupp Arena.

Coach didn’t say much about the Indiana State game (the 4th consecutive loss for the Bruins) other than noting the team’s inability to play an entire 40 minute game.

When the Bruins returned home they were met by a Jacksonville State team who some nonconference record troll Joe Lunardi, had picked to win the OVC this year. Coach mentioned that Belmont easily forgets how big of a target they play with on their backs – especially in the OVC. Regardless, the Bruins were able to beat the Gamecocks in what was a pretty discouraging game to watch.

Then came the ultimate reality check: the Tennessee Tech game. Coach admitted the Bruins are not where they want to be, they are not sound, and they are not as good defensively as they were in years past. “Our teams have been good at winning the games we were supposed to win. This team has to get better.”

Rick quickly transitioned into showing the room a highlight reel of a series of set plays the Bruins run. The plays revolve around setting screens, slipping screens, and all sorts of general misdirection. It was awesome. Rick praised Craig’s ability to drive the ball into the paint but commented that Tennessee Tech did a good job of stepping up into the gap and preventing him from getting close to the basket towards the end of Thursday’s game. He added that if Craig can get a couple of good strides in at the top of the gap, he’s most likely going to get to the bucket. He also praised Reece’s ability to seemingly set perfect screens in the many set plays the Bruins run. For me, personally, a highlight of the plays that were broken down was an inbound-play from the offensive baseline that any seasoned Bruin fan or coach with access to any reasonable amount of film would be familiar with. I have maybe seen this play 1 million times over the past several years. When the inbounder’s defender decides to guard the basket instead of the in-bounder, the inbound pass goes in to a player at the top of the key while the post players screen the in-bounder’s defender. The second pass goes back to the in-bounder who has popped in-bounds and can usually shoot an uncontested three in the corner. We’ve seen it work countless times, but it was cool to hear Rick explain why it works.

At the end of the film reel, Rick quipped that the Bruins scored more points in that set of clips than they did in the last 30 minutes of the Tennessee Tech game. People laughed with a dark sadness in their hearts.

He said, “our team knows where we are falling short.” He went on to guess that Belmont probably had one of the top 25 hardest non-conference schedules in the country. Having gone 10-6 through that stretch Rick said, “I’ll take it.” What he said he wouldn’t take was how the team has been playing. He noted that Belmont has a talented team but unlike previous years, this team isn’t so much more talented than any other OVC team they’d face.

Despite all the nay-saying, Coach remarked that the team had a great practice yesterday coming off the shaky Tech win and felt confident that fans would be seeing the Bruins begin to play better basketball. “We’ll play better on Thursday.”

Next, Rick gave an enlightening health update. JJ had in the past weeks strained a muscle in his shooting arm but was able to play through it. In the next game (it was unclear which games these were) JJ suffered what the team assumed was merely a painful Charlie Horse. Instead of the pain going away slowly, the injury lingered causing team trainer Paul Malloy to guess that JJ might have a slight crack in his bone. Coach assured us that JJ was getting better (he scored 14 points against Tech but has looked off) – although he and several other players were quite sick this weekend. He added that Drew was sick for the past two games and Reece is still missing the occasional practice due to pain in his still-healing foot. Paul Malloy has assured the coaches that playing on it does not exacerbate the risk of him breaking it again.

Rick concluded by saying this program has been spoiled in recent years with a regularly lopsided margin of victory. This is not going to be the case this year. Instead, this team is going to have to grind out a lot of wins and fight through fatigue and foul issues, ‘but we can win the rest of our games if we play how Belmont teams are supposed to play.’

The Bruins lost to Indiana State. This loss, in and of itself, doesn’t really tell us much more about the Bruins’ chances for the rest of this season. However, this loss to the Sycamores puts to rest a December which I’m sure Coach Byrd would like to forget. Belmont finishes 1-5 on the month after going 7-1 during November continuing the ByrdCage’s theme for the season of “Who is this team?”

As Jono pointed out last week, ultimately it matters little for the Bruins what happens in December. For better or worse, this team’s fate will likely be decided during the first week of March in the OVC Tournament. This is just the sort of ho-hum, let’s hope for the best season we expected before Belmont upset UNC in November. Hopefully, during the holidays you haven’t been imagining a world in which Belmont didn’t lose to South Dakota State (not San Diego State), Denver and Indiana State. Hopefully you didn’t consider what might have been if the Bruins had upset VCU. That world, which might exist in some sort of string theory type discussion, might also include an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. That 12-2 Belmont team, which is floating somewhere in the ether, has fans who eagerly await the 2014 portion of the season. They’re hoping for the Bruins to simply hold form and accept that at-large bid. Some ByrdCagers have probably already assembled a list of NCAA Tournament Second Round (technically still First Round, but whatever) sites and may have already created travel plans.

Alas, we find ourselves in this reality in which the Bruins have to win in order to travel to the Big Dance again this year. Would we have it any other way? Yes – well, I would anyway. Bert probably prefers our current reality.

So with all my melancholy grievances having been aired, let’s now take a quick peek at the week ahead – the first week of OVC Conference play.

JAN 2, 7PM, at the Curb

Jacksonville State Gamecocks: Remember the guys who used to wear those hats that said “COCKS” on them? That was stupid. The early 2000s were a weird time.

Best Win: Central Michigan

Worst Loss: Arkansas-Little Rock

Assessment: Just show up. Losing this game would be really, really bad.

ByrdCage Nation (all twelve of you) please come to both of these games. I know we bag on the Bruins a lot but we love them and we would like for you to love them as well. It’s sort of a self-esteem thing.

With another loss, this time at the hands of national powerhouse Kentucky, Belmont finds itself in the midst of a number of different realities. First of all, the Bruins are experiencing their worst losing spell since the 2010 season (the team finished 19-12). Another reality is that the Bruins, as each successful year passes, face growing expectations (maybe that’s just from the writers on this blog and not the readers…). But the most important reality facing the Bruins is that they are still only in the midst of their “preseason” and seasons at Belmont are built on the conference schedule. So lets try to put these realities in context.

Lets address the last note first – and really, its one of the most important things to remember. Belmont Bruin basketball seasons are made in February and March, not November and December. Sure, the signature wins are nice and if we ever find ourselves in a situation like we did last year where an at large bid was a serious consideration, wins against the likes of North Carolina would be great. But if you’re a mid-major, serious about an automatic bid, you can’t lose games to the likes of South Dakota State and Denver, despite their generally strong reputation as mid-major contenders and your temporarily depleted Bruin team. But let’s get back to the point. Everything happening at this point in the season is meant to prepare this team for the Ohio Valley Conference. While we can bemoan the losses, we should keep in mind that the idea at this point to keep players healthy and find a general rhythm as the conference season starts. Belmont’s performance in the OVC will determine its tournament fate.

Dealing with expectations is a funny thing. The other problem is that it’s all relative. As a program, Belmont has earned the reputation of a high level mid-major capable of doing damage against larger programs. However, you would’ve had a hard time finding anyone associated with this blog that had high expectations for this year’s team. But, when you beat North Carolina, no matter the situation, things change. And as those changes happen, stretches like this are harder to stomach for Bruin faithful.

But have no fear; this team is not going to lose 12 games. Unless the OVC took a massive step forward in competition that we don’t know about, this team will compete at or near the top of the conference and position itself for an automatic birth. So, yes, while the recent struggles blow, the season will be made starting on January 2nd.

Hear are some random thoughts to chew on from the Kentucky game…

1) We lost to Julius Randle. Yes, I’m a myopic Bruin fan, but that guy did whatever he wanted and caused so many defensive breakdowns by the Bruins that it wasn’t even funny. Which reminds me, why does Rick feel like Evan Bradds and Jeff Laidig should be matched up against that guy in any one-on-one situation. I found myself frustrated that Blake didn’t play more. And its not like he was in foul trouble. He was clearly our strongest defensive option and yet he was often subbed in favor of people who couldn’t guard Randle even a little. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a HUGE Bradds fan and am convinced that he will be one of the best at Belmont before he leaves, but Randle is on another level.

2) I really dislike John Calipari. Really dislike. On Saturday, former Bruin Matthew Dotson summed up what we pretty much all feel via Twitter: “Rick Byrd = Coach, John Calipari = Recruiter”. On some level, you have to admire his willingness to coach 7-8 brand new 18 year olds every year, but lets be real, Rick coached circles around Cal on Saturday.

Lastly, the Bruins get the week off before completing the 2nd half of an in season home and home with Indiana State on Saturday the 28th. Belmont fans should have fond memories of the first meeting where the Bruins rallied from a big halftime deficit to beat the Larry Birds in Nashville. Winning in Terra Haute will be a different proposition and should provide a good test for the Bruins heading into the conference schedule. The player to watch for the Sycamores will be senior guard Jake Odum. In the first meeting, the Bruins held him in relative check until a late game flurry and a similar effort will be required to prevail this time around.